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More than 30 people were injured at a Legoland park in southern Germany on Thursday when two roller coaster cars collided on a track, prompting the park’s owners to close the ride and evacuate the site.
The accident occurred around 1:45 p.m. local time on the “Feuerdrache” or “Feuerdrache” attraction, Legoland Germany said in a statement. A roller coaster car had stopped in front of the station’s entrance – but a second car didn’t stop and eventually crashed into the first, the statement said.
It’s not clear why the second car didn’t stop, Legoland said, adding that the ride will be closed “for now” but the park will reopen on Friday. Police said a criminal investigation had been launched, Britain’s Sky News reported.
The crash was the second roller coaster accident in Germany in as many weeks. Last week, a 57-year-old woman died at Klotten Wildlife and Leisure Park after slipping out of her seat on a roller coaster. She fell 26 feet as the car whipped around a corner, Deutsche Welle reported.
At Legoland, about an hour outside of Munich, a total of 38 occupants were in the two cars that collided and 31 suffered minor injuries, which were treated at the scene by doctors and paramedics. Of those, 14 were taken to a hospital for further observation, the park said.
“We would like to thank all emergency services for their great commitment [the] website today and we would like to wish everyone involved a speedy recovery,” said Manuela Stone, area manager of Legoland Germany, in a statement to The Post.
The Fire Dragon is a medieval ride with castle-like structures, stained glass windows, and faux stone arches. The cars carrying the passengers are green and shaped like a kite.
“Ride on the back of a fire-breathing dragon and see what life was like in a medieval castle, meet brave knights and pretty damsels,” reads a description of the ride on the Legoland resort’s website. “But be careful – don’t let the LEGO® dragon guarding the treasure chambers scare you! Stepping outside through a gate will take you to the final descent of the ride, which will shake you up as you hurtle down this rollercoaster.”
The attraction was open to solo riders ages 8+ or accompanied passengers ages 6+.
The ride had a top speed of 35 miles per hour and a maximum height of 52 feet, according to Dark Ride Database, a website with information about various attractions at the theme park.